Klarinet Archive - Posting 000931.txt from 1998/02

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: ITS A FACT (3)
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1998 19:43:04 -0500

On Wed, 25 Feb 1998, Bill Hausmann wrote:

> At 10:45 PM 2/24/98 -0600, Ed Lacy wrote:
> >All the advice I have ever heard concerning this subject is precisely the
> >opposite of the above. I'm quite sure it is best NOT to use a chemically
> >treated cleaning cloth on the keys of any woodwind. The problem is that
> >whatever chemicals are involved can get on the pads, thereby accelerating
> >their deterioration and eventual demise.
> >
> Which must be why Selmer sells them ($5.00 retail now). They work very
> well, but leave a slight film which can be annoyingly slippery to some.

The simple solution, which everybody seems to be ignoring, is
to go over the clarinet a second time with a chemical-free cloth,
i.e.; an old cotton t-shirt, after removing tarnish and dirt with
the silver cloth. If you merely wipe your keys down with the
silver cloth, expect a powder residue on the keys which will make
its way onto your pads and into your toneholes, and even contribute
to *more rapid* decay of your nickel or silver plating. I've used
silver cloths on my silver-plated clarinets for 8 years, and the keys
still look brand new because I always wipe the clarinet down with an
old (but clean) cotton t-shirt (lint-free) immediately after shining
up the keys with the silver cloth. Give it a whirl.

Neil